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Yvonne Ball got a sneak peek before its unveiling and joked that as it’s “one-and-a-half times” his actual size, it would be the first time she had looked up at 5ft 4ins Bobby. The Cannon and Ball star died aged 76 in October 2020 at Blackpool’s Victoria Hospital after catching Covid. His death prompted calls for a statue in his home town of Lytham, Lancs.
The £100,000 artwork by sculptor Ben Twiston-Davies will be unveiled in Lytham’s Lowther Gardens, a green space adored by Bobby, on August 28.
And Yvonne said Ben has “nailed” Bobby’s likeness. She said he “studied everything”, including photos and TV shows and Bobby would have been “overwhelmed” by the honour.
She added that her husband used to joke about having a statue “but I don’t think he thought it would ever happen. He’d be so proud and I think he’d burst out crying”.
Ben said being commissioned for the statue, funded by public donations, was a “real honour”.
Bobby starred in sitcoms such as Last Of The Summer Wine and Benidorm and had a Saturday NIGHTTV show in the 1980s with comedy partner Tommy. He moved to Lytham over 25 years ago after falling in love with the town while working in nearby Blackpool.
Bobby was so well known for his red braces, which he pulled while delivering his “rock on Tommy” catchphrase, that mourners at his funeral donned pairs in tribute.
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